LONDON, Jan 11: International rules have been revised to better protect developing countries against receiving unwanted waste from wealthier nations.

The ‘Green List’ regulation — which covers the export of non-hazardous recyclable materials from the EU — has been updated to formally record the wishes of countries outside the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that have expressed an opinion about the recyclable materials they would like to receive. Where a country has not expressed an opinion, agreement must be given on a case-by-case basis.

The aim is to protect these countries from receiving materials they do not want, and the change will also help prevent the export of recyclables to countries which believe they could not process them in an environmentally sound way.

Complementary changes to the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations will come into effect on Feb 5, and will make it an offence for anyone to export material against the specified wishes of non-OECD countries.

Welcoming the revision in the relevant rules the UK’s Environment Minister Joan Ruddock said: “Many developing countries want our recyclables because of the value to their growing manufacturing sectors. There is a double environmental win from this trade — it makes more sustainable use of the world's resources, cutting the consumption of virgin raw materials, while boosting recycling levels in the UK and reducing our reliance on landfill.

“But it is essential that this important legitimate trade is carried out in a mutually respectful and beneficial way. It is completely unacceptable to use it as a cover for dumping unwanted materials on countries that have no use for them, or cannot process them efficiently. This revised regulation will help prevent that happening.

The UNEP Basel Convention on transboundary movements of waste and their disposal sets out the global control framework for the import and export of wastes. The EU's obligations under the Convention, together with those under a related OECD Decision, are put in place by the Waste Shipments Regulation 1013/2006/EC. The EC Regulation is given full effect in the UK by the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 2007, which set out offences and penalties and designate the competent authorities for enforcing the Waste Shipments Regulation in the UK.

The export of waste for disposal (as opposed to recycling) abroad is illegal. The Revised Green List Regulation 1418/2007 came into effect on 18 December 2007.

The Transfrontier Shipment of Waste (Amendment) Regulations 2008 create offences for failure to comply with the requirements of the Green List Regulation.